Plantation life for slaves

Introduction

Since the early 17th century when Africans were shipped and transported to America from the West Coast of Africa after being captured and sold to slavers , slavery became an unforgettable aspect of American history Although the American Revolution and adoption of the new Constitution in 1787 led to the decline of slavery as an institution . As one of the compromises in the new Constitution , the founders have decided and agreed to stop the importation of slaves into the American colonies in 1808 . However , African American slavery was once again revived with

the invention and widespread adoption of the cotton gin . Although machineries have already paved the way for using labor force at a lesser number , growing cotton was considered labor-intensive and cotton growers or plantation owners needed a large supply of labor force to tend and grow the fields

The slaves were transported to America through the middle passage , a cruel trip wherein the slaves were crowded into ships and chained to the hold of the ship for long periods of time . Although many slaves died during the journey , many slaves made it to America nevertheless . Upon reaching America , majority of the slaves were sold on board the ships or wharves to prospective buyers . These slaves had been farmers while in Africa and when they reached the American colonies , they brought their knowledge of rice production to the South . They eventually became slaves in plantations

A Slave 's Life in Plantations

Despite the similarities of the origins of the African American slaves , social status developed among slaves in plantations . The field slaves were considered the backbone of the plantation economy or the lowest ranking slaves . And as field slaves they were also divided into gangs ' based on their physical strength and ability . The strongest and fittest slaves comprised the first gang while the highest ranking slaves were the domestic servants who worked in the owner 's house

A slave 's day usually consisted long hours of hard and tedious labor Field work on sugar plantations were particularly intense and backbreaking which consisted of digging holes for planting and cutting canes when it was time to reap them (anti-slavery .org . A field hand 's day started before dawn and ended well after the sun has set , some working as long as 15 to 16 hours everyday . They were only given a few minutes to almost two hours of rest during the day . In contrast to white American farmers who also place long hours of work in their farms and have control of their working time , African American farmers on the other hand , have no such control

Slaves worked under constant supervision by their overseers and were threatened by physical punishment . Instead of positive reinforcement the incentive used to encourage hard work among slaves was the use of lashes of the cart whip . Punishment such as this was often freely administered by the drivers , slaves themselves who were privileged to work under their overseer 's supervision . During crop time , work in...